It was coming, and he knew it. There was no avoiding it, no matter how he looked at it. He had already been shot once and was lucky that the bullet had not found its mark. He was not afraid; if he had been, he could not have continued to do the job. The war had taken care of that. He had three able-bodied men to take over for him, from what had been a one-woman job. Hannah Cory, daughter of retired Town Marshal Scott Cory, had hired him on as a deputy, and eventually, he was hired on as Marshal when she stepped away from the job. It had been quiet for the two-year experience, though it seemed much longer.

Would that he only had Wood & Guyer Mining Company of New York, his speculating firm to concern him, that would be one thing, but Town Marshal, and the Copper Queen, along with the Raven mines to open run, it was a bit much, and stretching him thin, almost too thin.

Some would say delegate, and yes, to a point that might work, but still, he could not be in more than one place handling one crisis at a time, and that was generally how such things went. Then, too, it would be that way between the business, the two mines, and home life, but at least it didn’t seem like there would be a daily risk of gunplay.

There was the problem of the fire station, if it could be considered a problem; he was only supporting the idea, nothing more, and there was his involvement in the Founders Day Celebration, but now he had caught himself looking for reasons he could not step away from the Marshal's job.

He had not thought that his short time behind the badge would have taken hold of him the way that it obviously had. Even after being shot, it seemed as if the Marshal's duties and risks could come before his businesses and Alice. That shook him to the core. This was his life he was thinking about.

He crossed to the office coffee pot on the wood stove and poured himself a cup. He figured most men would have a drink or two over the predicament, though that just was not his way. The current thoughts and the problems they presented called for a clear head, if he could muster one. Everything he had built. 

The coffee was hot, black, and strong, just how this situation needed it to be. There was no way he was going to lose Alice Fletcher; the mines and the minerals business would care for themselves. He really didn't have a day-to-day hand in them anyway, not at the moment. He had gotten away from running the minerals business being Marshal. That nearly got him killed! He knew there were now competent men on the streets, and in actuality, the town could do without him.

He sat back, put his boots up on the desk, and let out a sigh. The town did not have need of him like it once had. But Alice did, the Copper Queen did, and Wood and Guyer did. Now all that remained was for him to discuss this with Alice and move on with life.